Hateshinai Shiken
by EpicDaydreamer
Summary: One Adventure done and one war won, Kagome is thrown into a new one. Kagome/ Urahara
1. Prologue

Hateshinai Shiken

Epic Daydreamer

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, however the idea does.

A/N:Re-posting this story in hopes that I will be inspired to update. If you like please review, if you don't then don't. I'm only going to update if people like the story.

Prologue: Start of a New Day

Today was just plain weird. Strange beyond the usual out of norm life that belonged to one Kagome Higurashi.

After returning to Kaede's village about 6 hours ago, the tachi was attacked by Naraku himself. After multiple battles with strong and lesser demons, the shikon would be complete if not for Naraku having the other half. His attack did not come as a surprise to any of the group, however the events of his defeat did.

Although they did battle; sango and miroku tag teaming kagura, sessoumaru and Inuyasha focusing on Naraku, and Kagome doing her best to keep the hordes of demons at a minimal amount so that the others could continue to fight. Kohaku and Kouga were not amongst the group; Kohaku was killed due to Naraku's need for the shikon fragment located within his body, and Kouga's entire clan was attacked by the wind sorceress prior to the battle that left the ookami in a coma like state and near the edge of death. Kagome knew he would be pissed he missed this when he woke.

This was all expected. When an opening appeared for Kagome's arrow to pierce through Naraku's heart, she took it without a second thought.

Kagome was no longer that young, naïve 15 year old girl who spent the majority of her time hiding behind the others of her team. After a nasty battle a year and a half ago, which left shippo critically injured all because he wanted to protect her; she had a 180 degree change in mindset. If her small kit could stand and take injury in order to protect those he cared about, so could she. She managed, in her own way, to get Sesshomaru to teach her all he could. He, considering his personality, was a strict and overwhelming sensei. Through him she had mastered the sword, perfected her bow, and, through some side help from miroku, was confident in using a staff. Her miko ki was also something she trained with, although her training with that was not entirely complete, she was proud to say that she could control the majority of it, despite the amazing fact that it was continuously getting stronger.

After her training with Sesshomaru (A.K.A The fluff behind his back), he had totosai fashion her sword. It took longer to make then a regular demons, due largely to the obvious fact that she was a miko, and she was required to stay with Totosai for two and a half weeks in a constant meditating state of pushing her miko ki into the sword that totosai was creating. Her powers acted as a fang of sorts and created, to the shock of Kagome from totosai, "the best sword he had ever created'. The hilt was lavender with intricate black designs that created a perfect grip, golden tassels that seemed to shine like the sun hung from the end. The blade itself was half black, made of a metal Kagome had never seen before, and the other half was a sharpen diamond that looked as though it could cut you if you looked at it. The sheath was just as beautiful with its solid black wood, and golden pattern of feathers that seemed to float from the top to the bottom. She named the sword Kuroi Ame (black rain), and soon it became like an extention of herself.

The battle itself still raged, as Kagome steadied her aim on the opening she had found. But before she could act, a loud smack and a bouncing thud drew her attention to Sango and miroku. Sango had been knocked clear off her feet, a wind blade tearing across her chest as she was thrown into an already dead kilala. Miroku, watched helplessly, and with a savage battle cry, he opened and sucked in everything he could, including Kagura. She watched with a solid dread in her heart as Miroku screamed in anguish at the opening in his hand that grew bigger and bigger until it was on the verge of consuming him. She turned around as if in slow motion, and reached to grab shippo in hopes of escaping the growing tunnel. But as she reached down, she froze, shippo was laying in a pull of blood, his eyes gone dull with death. His hands seemed to be reaching for her, but the demon that Kagome did not notice held him down with a mouth full of the young kits neck. Kagome stared into the demons eyes for a moment, her entire world frozen in a moment. With a battle cry that stilled both inuyasha's and Sesshomaru's movement, they watched as a flood of pink light stretched from the miko's body and engulfed everything in the vicinity. She watched as the menacing creature holding her kit was obliterated, but her kit remained unharmed from her unleashed ki. A pain filled cry of naraku as he too was obliterated came from her behind her, but at the moment, she could care less about Naraku. She gently lifted the kid, and held him in her arms like a mother holding a new born infant. Tears that shimmered with power fell from her eyes.

She rocked the poor kid softly for a couple of minutes, the two inu demons coming to stand behind her. Slowly she sat the child on the ground, closing his eyes with gentle fingers as she did so. _So much pain_, she thought. _He was so young, he shouldn't have died. Niether should the others._She looked back towards Sango, the beautiful demon slayer was laying beside Kilala, her young body made no movement, not even a soft rise of her chest to showed life; just those empty and unseeing eyes that stared at nothing. Miroku was Gone, nothing left of him.

Then something happened. Hey eyes were beginning to get blurry. She rubbed at them, trying to clear the vision. When she looked up, Sango and Miroku were standing in front of her, Shippo too. They seemed to all have a chain attached to their chest that seemed to be attached to their bodies that were lying on the ground. That is, except miroku. There was no body for him, and the broken chain attached to him was slowly eroding. She watched as they were trying to get her attention.

"Miroku …Sango…Shippo…" Her mouth was dry, her voice coming out in hoarse whispers. "Are you dead?"

"Yes Lady Kagome." Replied Miroku. His brow was nitted together in confusion at the slowly deteriorating chain.

"So that makes you ghost. I've seen ghost before, never this vividly. What's going to happen to you now?" She looked up towards the two Inu's behind her. They were both staring at her strangely. Clearly they couldn't see what she could. She didn't care, let them think she was crazy if they wanted.

"I'm not sure. There's supposed to be a reaper to take us over, if we do not go ourselves."

"Well why are you still here? Do you still have attachment to this place?"

"OF COURSE!" All three replied in unison. A soft mew drew her attention to the small Kilala standing behind sango. Kilala had a chain too, but her's was also broken like Miroku's.

"What is holding you here?"

"We're all concerned for you." Sango watched the young miko with a steady gaze. "I don't want you to leave here saying our deaths were your fault Kagome. That is not true. I want you to promise to live the best you can when you go home. We'll see you again. Promise me. "

The young miko watched them, tears falling from her face. Her sapphire blues shimmered with the pain of the truth her sister said.

"I love you kagome. You are like a mother to me. When we see you again, I hope you'll have some pocky.' Kagome smiled, at the young kitsune, which slipped once both him and the tajiya's chains broke.

"What's going on? What are these chains?" Kagome whimpered, the chains seemed to be foreboding something the shorter they got. Miroku's was already down to one chain left.

"I'm not sure Lady Kagome. But It might get bad once there is no chains. I think I'm ready to leave now, that I know you're alright. Maybe where we're going I can still have Sango bear me children."

Sango turned bright read at that and knocked the hoshi onto the ground. "Baka!"

Kagome smiled and laughed, watching the four glow and then disappear. A black butterfly replacing them as it flittered away.

Kagome sighed. Her heart hurt, but she felt much better knowing that they were alright despite them dying. She would keep her promise to Sango and live the best she could.

She stood and walked over to the dark shikon no tama that was lying in the ashes that once belonged to naraku. _So much pain over something so small._ She continued to ignore the dog demons, her focus entirely on the jewel.

"Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kilala are going to be alright. They crossed over onto the spirit plain. Miroku still plans on having Sango bare him children." Inuyasha suddenly barked with laughter, the thought something so realistic to what the hoshi would really say. Sesshomaru just breathed in slight irritation.

"Miko, finish your duty. They is still something you need to do."

Kagome smiled slightly at Sesshomaru and nodded. She picked the jewel up, watching it become purified, then with a little bit of her power, pieced the other half together. The jewel glowed with being whole once more.

She sighed relief until the jewel started glowing harder. With a cry of surprise and then pain from her, it shot into her chest. The pain was like taking a hot bullet through the heart.

Tears fell slowly down her face at the searing pain and the fading image of Inuyasha, and even Seshomaru, crying out for her.

"KAGOME!"

"MIKO!"

Their cries became distant and softly realized that her time in this period was over before she found herself fading into darkness.

There was no conversation with Midoriko. Although, that might have been helpful. There was no wish. No sudden discovery of finding herself back at the well. There was no goodbyes, or even a "yes I'll stay because I love you Inuyasha." Not that Kagome still felt that way for the Inu Hanyou. No Kagome had stopped loving Inuyasha after so many hurts and accepted him as a friend and nothing more. Even after Kikyo was killed, _again,_ and her soul returned to her body, Kagome could find no feelings of "in-love devotion' for the boy.

Instead, she awoke coughing a small amount of blood, the throbbing of the jewel in her chest causing slight spasms in her breathing. She waited for it to calm down, and eventually it did. Her clothes were torn in various places. Gone was the sailor uniform. She wore a pair of black hakamas, worn ragged with various claws ripping through it. Her navy blue wife beater was torn in half, exsposing her stomach due to having to make makeshift bandages at various points during the battle. Her sword was still with her though, tucked neatly into the light blue belt wrapped around her waist.

She had sat on the hard concrete waiting for the pain to subside, and stared at the clouds as the sky slowly drifted into various colors that signaled a sunset. Ironically, today was her birthday.

"_Well happy birthday Kagome."_She thought sarcastically. Turning 18 was clearly not something to shout about at the moment. She knew when she got home the well wouldn't open again. Of course, that was if she got home from wherever she was. Slowly she stood up, allowing the soft breeze to cool the sudden bout of nausea. The railing that was a couple feet away from her was cool to the touch as well, using it as a means to help hold her up long enough to see where she was. Looking around her eyes widened and her breath stopped for a small moment in time. She realized she was on the roof of a very tall building.

"_How the hell did I get up here?"_ Her mind cried. She continued to stare at the expanse of a city she didn't recognize, although she knew she was still in Japan and in her time due to the flashing signs of various colors on the other buildings below her, all of them written in Japanese. She took a deep breath while taking all the information. Living in the sengoku jidai for three years taught her that adapting was a basic requirement for survival.

In the famous words of her sensei, "Adapt or die."

"_Ok so we defeated Naraku, four of my best friends have died and gone to the spirit plain, the damned jewel is back in my body, I don't know where the hell I am since I have come back only to land on top of a roof in another city, oh and it's my birthday! Hhmmm…, just another day in the life of Kagome Higurashi!"_She laughed in her thoughts, tapping her black boots, coincidentally given to her by Sesshomaru, on the pavement. "_Now how do I get down?"_

She looked to a door in the middle of the roof that probably lead to a stair way and was probably locked. Walking over to it, she pulled on the handle, surprise to see it open. "_That's unusually lucky."_However, she was correct about the stairway. She didn't exactly know what kind of building this was, so she walked the fifteen minutes to the bottom through the stairway, avoiding any elevators. At the bottom the exit sign lead her not out the front of the building, but to a side alley.

From the roof she could see that this alley split one of two ways. If she went right, most likely she would be in the heart of the rather small city; if she went left she could eventually reach a park and multiple housing complexes. Of course, she chose to go left.


	2. Chapter 1

Hateshinai Shiken

Epic Daydreamer

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, however the idea does.

A/N:Re-posting this story in hopes that I will be inspired to update. If you like please review, if you don't then don't. I'm only going to update if people like the story.

Chapter One: Attractions and Suspicions

She walked slowly, enjoying the sunset fading into twilight. Her hand reached back and pulled the tie she used while fighting out of her hair and ran her hand through the silky locks. She had let her hair grow to the back of her knees. While training with Sesshomaru, she had come to the conclusion that she did not like having the beautiful demon having better hair than her, so she let it grow. It had become a habit to run her hands through it, in order to relax.

She continued walking, twisting the curls that spiraled throughout her hair. The sidewalk lights were coming on, casting shadows in odd places. She soon found the park , labeled at the entry way as , "Karakura Town Park." She smirked. "_Well clearly I'm in a place called Karakura Town."_

She soon found a swing and sat down on it, watching the ends of her hair float to the ground. That was one thing she didn't understand about Sesshomaru: How in the world did he keep his hair clean?

She laughed at her wayward thoughts and began to swing gently, her hair floating with her as she moved higher. A small laugh drew her eyes to a small kid hiding behind a pole that kept the swing up. She slowed down, and smiled gently at him. He looked to be about 7 with wild brown hair and bright hazel eyes. He was too cute.

"Hi there cutie. Do you want to swing?" He smiled shyly with a slight blush over his cheeks and nodded. Standing up, she gently walked over and held out her hand for him to take. He grabbed it, its small weight fitting easy in her hands and came out. A sensation crawled up the girl's spine at the contact, and although the boy had no chain like Miroku or the others did, she knew without a shadow of doubt that this boy was dead. Her mind became melancholy at the thought, but she didn't let it show as she placed the boy in the swing and pushed him. She laughed at his squeals of delight. She continue to play with the young ghost, taking him on the slide and hanging in the jungle gym.

She discovered many things about him as they played. His name was Eiji Fukutoshi. Eiji had accidentally gotten hit by a car when he ran into the street to get runaway ball. He knew he was dead, but didn't understand what that meant. All he knew was that no one would pay any attention to him and his parents would always cry when they saw his picture. He cried when he told her his parents had moved away and left him behind. Tears glittered in her eyes as the young boy cried himself to sleep as they sat on a small bench. She stroked his hair like she use to do Shippo, and knew in her heart that his parents probably couldn't take living in a place full of sad memories.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a scream like a banshee being strangled was heard and it made her hair bristle like a feline being threaten. Chills raced up her spine with the sense of danger drawing near. The sleeping boy did not wake up, clearly a deep sleeper. _Although_, she quietly thought,_he probably hasn't a good sleep since he died. ._ She gently placed the boy on the other side of the bench and placed a barrier around him. Standing, her hand was on the hilt of her sword in time to see a huge creature leap into her line of sight.

_So Hungry. Two tasty meals_. It's voice was horse and seemed to echo within itself. It was slightly larger than the trees surrounding the park, a white mask coated its face, eyes of intense black and red glowed from the eye holes. It's tongue slithered out like a snake's to taste the air, while its entire body, including the large fists that drug the ground and the tail that resembled that of a spiked dinosaur, shook from the vibrations of its growls. It was like a demon in appearance, but unlike a demon whose aura tends make your flesh tingle with the anticipation of certain death, this creature affected the soul. She could feel the shikon throbbing in her chest. She took a deep breath, holding her own and the shikon's power within her body, and released her sword. Her experienced in the sengoku jidai taught her that creatures of darkness are drawn to power and light, which required her to learn to keep her power and aura hidden. She didn't believe this creature was any different.

The creature before her roared again before charging a bit faster then she anticipated considering its body size. That didn't matter however. Before anyone could blink, the creature was dissolving. Her sensei's words continued ringing in her ears as she landed gently behind the now gone creature. _Locate the enemy's weakness quickly, and then strike without mercy._

She sheathed her sword, thinking about the creature. She'd never seen one like it before. Never had she seen it in the feudal era, or in her own time. She was a bit confused, and even more wary. What other strange creatures possibly lurked in the night…?

A rustle to her right and more into the trees caught her attention, placing a hand on her sword in reflex. The man who stepped out was not what she was expecting at all. A man who appeared to be close to thirty in human years wearing a dark green kimono blouse with dark green short pants and a black jacket with white diamonds on the end, stood there waving a fan in front of him and a gently and almost funny smile on his face. That was all she could see since his eyes were hidden by the shadow of the white and green striped hat he wore, aside from the wild looking blond hair that peeked out the sides. . The hand not holding the fan was holding a wooden cane loosely.

Despite the smile she knew he was watching her closely. Not one to trust a smile, she read his aura to see if there was any hostility. When she felt none she took her hand off the sword. A small sigh and movement behind her tore her gaze from the individual in front of her.

Eiji was sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Kagome…" He called, she turned and went to him, picking him up and placing him on her lap after dissipating the barrier she had erected.

"Shh…it's ok." She responded. He smiled sleepily up at her, a blush tinting his cheeks.

"Kagome-chan, you look like a princess." That surprised her, and a genuine smile lit up her face causing the gentle blush on the boy to tint a little more at his awe.

"Thank you eiji-san." He nodded his head and placed his hand on her cheek .

"Eiji-san. I want you to do something for me ok." He looked at her and nodded.

"It's very important Eiji-san." She smiled as his face became serious at the idea of doing something important for Kagome.

"You know you are dead, and your parents won't be able to see you, ne?" He nodded. "There's things here that can be dangerous for you. I have friends where you can go, but I can't. One of them has a name known as Sango and another as Shippo. I know shippo would be willing to play with you if you will like. I think you will have a lot of fun there." She continued to smile at him kindly. "When you find them, can you tell them that their Kagome-nii-san, says hi."

He nodded then frowned. "What about you and my parents?"

"This is not goodbye, only a see ya later. Your parents will see you again. Everyone eventually goes to the place you're going. I will be there too. I just have more things that need to get done here first. I'll be there before you know it. Just wait for me, ok." He nodded, his smile returning.

"Ok Kagome-chan. I'll see you later." And with that, just like with her friends, the young boy glowed and disappeared. A black butterfly taking his place and flying off somewhere she could not reach.

Kagome sighed, completely forgetting about the man standing a few feet away until he made a move to sit beside her. They sat in companionable silence for a while, both lost in thought and staring at the night sky. She sensed him looking at her and turned in response.

"My name is Kisuke Urahara. Who might you be?" He smiled sincerely, and for once she could see his eyes were green.

She looked at him for a moment before returning the smile, watching his eyes widen slightly in surprise.

"My name is Kagome." She purposely left off her last name. Her smile widen at his responded smirk, clearly he realized that too.

"Well Kagome-chan, "Her eyebrows rising at the endearment coming from the older man "Are you ok? You look like you just came out of a battle."

"Hn." She responded after looking at her body, noticing for the first time the various spots of blood and bruises. Looking she noticed his eyes still watching her, causing her to lift her hands in a placating manner. "Honestly, I'm fine." He nodded; looking as though he didn't believe her. She smiled at him for his concern.

Before she could say anything, her stomach spoke for her with a loud growl. She blushed and smiled sheepishly, realizing she hadn't eaten since a half-day ago.

"Gomen." She chirped. He smiled even wider.

"That's alright Kagome-chan. I have a store near hear and my friends wouldn't mind one more guess for dinner." She looked at him for a long time trying to find any hidden motive. She could find none.

"Alright. That sounds nice." He stood and helped her, making sure she followed him. They made small talk along the way. He asked her a lot of questions, some she could answer truthfully others, she had to skate around.

"Where did you learn to fight like that Kagome-chan?"

"From my sensei." It wasn't a lie, but she didn't trust this man enough to elaborate. He nodded at the acceptance of her answer.

"You have any hobbies you like to do, Kagome-chan?" She smiled at his change of subject.

"Aside from training with my sensei, I like to paint." Yes, paint. She became rather good at while traveling with her companions after meeting a traveling artists, named Minoru, of whom she nick named Ryuu because of his fierce artistic spirit. She could watch him paint all day. He would look at a small scrap of land and then paint it, turning it into a beautiful world of its own. Of course now a day's his art work is long lost, except for Kagome who had become something of an apprentice to the traveling artists.

"Painting you say? That's different. I haven't met an artist before." She blushed slightly at the acknowledgement.

Finally they arrived at the small shop, faithfully labeled Urahara's Shop at the entrance. She watched the man in front of her take off his wooden sandals, she quickly followed, taking her boots off with practiced ease.

She continued to follow him when they entered a room that was obviously meant for eating.

"You can go ahead and sit down. I'm going to tell the cook that we have one extra guess." He pointed to a soft purple cushion and she gracefully followed his instructions. She watched him disappear behind a bamboo screen and listened to his soft footsteps recede down an unseen hallway. She sighed.

_Today has really been one event after another. What to do? Maybe I should call home and see how far away it is. I haven't been home in almost 8 months. My mother might just kill me._ _I really shouldn't be thinking such negative thoughts. I promised Sango I would live my left the best I can. I won't lose myself in negative thoughts and sorrow._

The sound of footsteps approaching pulled her from her thoughts. Urahara appeared with a very large man who had a very large mustache and was wearing an apron. Kagome schooled herself not to laugh and waited for introductions.

"Kagome-chan, this is my friend and assistant Tessai Tsukabishi. He is cooking for us tonight and he wanted to meet you." She could tell this man was very kind so she had no problem responding with a genuine smile that lit up her face.

"Pleasure to meet you, Tsukabishi-san." Kagome bowed slightly at the older man. She watched the older man nod his head with a responding smile.

"As it is a pleasure to meet you, Kagome-san, but you can call me Tessai. I hope you like Oden because that's what I'm making for dinner." A squeal of delight escaped her mouth as pure joy lit up her face and surprised the gentlemen standing in the doorway. She quickly calmed herself, and turned red at her own embarrassment.

"Gomen. My favorite food is Oden. Thank you for allowing me to eat with you tonight. I do not wish to be a bother or a burden." Both men continued to stare at her in a surprise daze.

"It's alright Kagome-san, you're welcome here. We have plenty of food so you can have as much as you want. "She couldn't help the joy from bubbling up and spreading across her face. _You can't have a birthday without Oden._

"Thank you, Tessai-san." He nodded his head and went back into the kitchen.

Kagome watched as Urahara sat down on a pillow in front of her.

"Kagome-chan, do you know what it was that you were fighting in the park?" He questioned, his eyes looked at her intensely but his voice held only light curiosity. She thought about it, surprised that he asked.

"No I don't." His eyebrows rose slightly. Clearly he wasn't expecting that. He continued to watch her.

"It is called a hollow. It is something that human spirits turn into when they are unable to let go and the chain of fate that ties them to this world has eaten away at their hearts." Kagome continued to look at him, but on the inside she froze. _Miroku…Miroku came close to being one of those things didn't he. If he hadn't let go in time he would have become one of those monsters._

She sighed and nodded in acceptance of the information.

"Was that your first time seeing a hollow?" She nodded her head. She had never seen one before, and she couldn't push past the feeling those things brought. It felt like a hand made up of all the evil things in the world was stroking gently against her spirit, waiting for a moment to grab it and pull it out. She shivered unconsciously.

"There are three basic realms. You have human world, which is where we are, soul society or the spirit realm. Then you have a place called hueco mundo. This is where the hollows live. Usually it is spirits here that turn into hollows and it is a shinigami's job to destroy them or send them back to hueco mundo. Shinigami also ferry spirits to soul society. If you didn't already notice, there are two types of spirits. One is called a plus, which is a regular spirit. Then of course a hollow. I was very impressed in how you handled the Hollow and the kid. I almost thought you were a shinigami yourself."

She nodded at the obvious try at a compliment, but she wasn't entirely sure it was good to be compared to a death God.

Tessai brought the food not soon after the last words fell from Urahara's lips. Following him were a boy and a girl. The boy was red haired and wore an expression that reminded her of a young Inuyasha. The young girl looked meek with her ebony pig tails, big purplish-blue eyes, and permanent blush. Kagome smiled at both of them, the girl smiled back and the boy just turned his nose in the air and looked to the side-much like Inuyasha did.

"Kagome-chan, the young boy is Jinta Hanakari and the young girl is Ururu Tsumigiya."Kagome smiled at them both and bowed her head slightly.

"Nice to meet you, Jinta-kun, Ururu-chan." The kids both nodded their heads. Jinta kept his head in the air, although his eyes continued to look out of the corners of his eyes.

They quickly brought the food and prepared the table. Giving thanks, they dug in. Kagome chose to wait for everyone to get their meal, before placing the delicious smelling Oden on her plate. She looked down and laughed in delight before taking a bite and almost melting on the floor from the flavor. It was probably the best oden she had ever had. She continued to delight in the small paradise that was her Oden, unaware of the stares she was getting from around the table.

"You really like Oden don't you, Kagome-chan?" She looked up and noticed the looks. She smiled sheepishly.

"Yes. Today is my birthday also, so that makes it taste even better. This probably is the best oden I've ever had. Thank you for cooking the meal." She watched tessai turn his head and cough in embarrassment.

"It's your birthday? How old are you?" The red haired boy was gazing at her, a slight pink blush was barely visible across his nose.

"I'm 18 today."

"You're old." She nearly choked.

"Yes well, sometimes I feel old." He looked at her with curiosity. Looking down he noticed her sword.

"Why do you have a sword? Do you even know how to use it?" The boy looked like he wouldn't believe her even if she told him yes.

"I have a sword because my sensei wanted me to. Whether I know how to use it…well, I could say yes, but I don't think you will believe me." She smirked down at him.

"You look more like a princess then someone who could wield a sword." He looked at her and watched her with a disbelieving look.

She nodded.

"You're the second person that has told me I look like a princess today. I will take that as a compliment." She laughed as he sputtered, and turned away. The rest of dinner continued with quiet talk and banter.

Kagome stretched.

"Thank you again for the wonderful dinner. It really was delicious." Tessai nodded before cleaning up the table, the two kids following close behind him.

"Kagome-chan," Her attention drew back to Urahara who was back to using his fan to cover the rest of his face, "Do you have a place to stay the night? You're welcome to bunk here. We have a couple of extra rooms available. "

"I actually have no place to stay currently. But, I feel as though I have already intruded. I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality. Besides, sleeping outdoors doesn't bother me." He paused a moment before responding.

"Nonsense, Kagome-chan. Why stay outside when you can sleep inside a warm place. I will even have your clothes cleaned and mended for you. You can borrow andextra sleeping Yukata we have here in the shop." She smiled and nodded, grateful for the offer. She wasn't sure how much she could trust this man, but he was going out of his way to make her comfortable. For that she was grateful.

She watched the man stand up and motion for her to follow him. He took her to a empty back room that had a soft looking mattress with equally soft bedding.

"Just set the clothes you want cleaned and mended outside the door. Tessai will come and get it for you. Here's a sleeping yukata." He handed a white bundle that he had picked up on the way down the hall from a closet.

"Thank you for your kindness. You have no idea how much it means to me."

"Not to worry Kagome-chan, you are welcome here. I hope we can be friends in the future." She looked at him for a moment, again searching for any sign of deceit, and when she found none, she nodded and smiled. She watched him turn around and head back down the hallway before closing the doors.

She placed the bundle on the floor for a moment before undressing. As she took off her clothes and gauged the relative damaged, she wondered exactly what she looked like to those sitting around a table eating dinner. Looking to the right she found a bathroom of sorts. There was no mirror, but there was a toilet and a brick shower that she could use to bathe herself. Putting the clean yukata and dirty clothes outside the door she quickly showered all of the blood and dirt from her body, and washed any debree from her black satin locks. When she was finished and feeling extremely refreshed, she put the yukata on, making sure to wring her hair out of all the excess water.

Next, she took her dirty clothes and began to wash them herself. She hated taking advantage of kind people, if she could keep a burden off of them then she would. Once they were scrubbed clean, she hung them on top of the bathroom door. Maybe she would ask for the mending supplies herself tomorrow. Slipping down onto the soft billowy mattress, her sword tucked to her, she fell asleep instantly.

Hateshinai Shiken

Sublime Magnolia

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, however the idea does.

A/N: I haven't written in a while. If you like please review, if you don't then don't. I'm only going to update if people like the story.

A loud commotion woke her before sunrise. She got up quickly, and placed her sword inside the belt of her tied Yukata. She slowly crept closer to the commotion, her hand on the hilt of Kuroi Ame.

When she turned the corner, she was surprised. There was a couple of people dressed in black and white, and all of them were injured. She watching tessai as he did his best to stop the bleeding from a chest wound of one individual who looked about her age with orange hair. Her experience quickly kicked in, as she looked at the two kids huddled in a corner.

"Jinta. Ururu. A bucket of clean water and a couple of clean wash towels now. " They looked at her skeptically before her tone changed into seriousness with a final, "NOW!" They hurried off to do what they were told to do.

She quickly sat beside the orange haired boy, knowing that his wounds were the most serious. She new Tessai was looking at her with curiousity, but she was not wasting time. As she looked at the boy, she knew he was about to lapse into a fever if he didn't get cooled down now. She watched him as coughed up some green slimy stuff, and recognized it as an after effect of poison.

"He has been poisoned. We'll have to force it out of the wound before we can close it up." She told Tessai, he just nodded.

The kids came back with the water and clean cloths. She quickly told them to stand to the side as she dipped one of the towels in the water and wrung it out; placing it on the young man's head in hopes of cooling his fever some.

She then straddled the boy to Tessai's bewilderment.

"Tessai I need you to hold his arms down, this could be painful and I don't want him jerking everywhere." He nodded and quickly held the boys arms down. Kagome took the tie she kept on her wrist and tied her hair back as quickly as possible. She looked to the kids.

"Ururu, are you squeamish?" The young girl shook her head. "Good. Come over here. I need you to do something very important. I'm about to push the poison out. While I'm doing that I need you to wipe it out of the wound with a wet towel." She nodded in understanding and quickly readied a dish towel.

Kagome took a breath, and released a a quarter of her power, ignoring the gaspes of surprise that filled the room. She placed her hands on the bear skin of the boy beneath her, using her power to search his blood stream and push the poison out of his wound. It felt like a couple of hours, but really it was only maybe twenty-minutes of green ooze coming out of an open wound, cries of pain, and her holding on to a struggling boy who was trying to be released. Finally it stopped, as the last bit of poison was eased out, and the boys fever started to recede. She used her power to quickly close the wound.

She moved off of him, and sat on her knees, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She lifted her head, ignoring the obvious stares she was receiving and went to the other occupants in the room who were injured. One was a man with strange spiky hair, an extremely well built physique, an eye patch over his right eye and a scar over his left. There was a wound from his right shoulder to his left hip that was strait like a sword had pierced his skin. He was also favoring his sword hand. She gently placed a hand on his wrist and a hand on his chest, letting her power flow more gently this time the skin healed in less than a minute. His wrist, which she could see had been crushed, took a bit longer to heal, but it too was soon as good as new.

She smiled gently at him despite his bewildered expression and moved onto the next person the line. A cute male with white hair and intense green eyes, of whom must have been a few years younger than her, was leaning against the wall breathing heavily and eyeing her warily. She laughed on the inside at the expression she had seen so many times on Sesshomaru when she was acting, in his terms, "Human".

He wasn't really beat up on the outside, but she could sense that he must have taken a couple of good hits to his stomach sense there was internal bleeding. How death Gods could have internal bleeding, she didn't know. But they were death Gods; she could see it in their aura that fluttered in colors of dark red and black. She placed her hand gently, but firmly on the boys stomach watching in amusement as he stiffen. His expression changed to amazement when the pain in his stomach was gone.

There were three individuals left, all of them female. One was a cute, young girl with pink hair. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was labored. Kagome gently placed a hand on the girls head, searching for any ailments. What she found made an inhuman growl come forth from her lips, her eyes momentarily turning gold, and causing the conscious occupants to jump at the sound.

"That Bastard!" She quickly turned to Tessai. "Tessai I need you. It seems that whoever these guys were battling placed a seed within this girl's body to consume her soul from the inside out. It's already feeding." Everyone in the room went pale at the revelation. Tessai quickly came over.

Her anger was boiling over, and another side of her personality was coming forth. Ever since training with Sessomaru she found that when she got angry she became just as blood thirsty as any demon. She always attributed it to her exchanging blood ties with Sesshomaru. When she said that to him, he only smirked with a smugness that in the end would make her mad.

"I'm going to turn her over and get the seed out. It's going to hurt her, but I need to get it out in order to heal her. It won't be long. I just need you to hold her down." He nodded grimly.

She put her hand on the girls back and watched as strings of her ki cut into her without leaving a visible wound. She quickly located the foreign object, ignoring the pissed objections that bounced around her at the young girls cries of pain. The object didn't want to budge, but with a little more power she was able to purify the edges and pull the thing out through her skin. When it came it looked like a fur ball gone horribly wrong. A seed could be seen in the middle as dense black spikes started to grow around it like crystals on a snow flake. The sight of it made everyone go quiet. The miko threw it to the side, and quickly worked on healing the girl and purifying the area the thing was located. Soon the girl went still in peaceful sleep, the pain gone.

Kagome sat back, letting her breathing calm her nerves. She couldn't help if she was still pissed. The girl was only a kid, what kind of sick Bastard would put something like that within a kid. Taking deep breaths, her heartbeat went back to normal, and she used the sleeve of her yukata to wipe the sweat from her face.

Turning her face, the last two girls were still conscious, but barely. One was maybe a year or two older than her, with long reddish hair and breasts the size of watermelons. Her wound wasn't serious; a jagged line down her side, but Kagome knew it was painful. That was probably why the girl was about to lose conscious. Kagome quickly placed her hand over the wound, but not on it. Her power seeped in and healed the older girl, leaving not even a trace of a scar.

The last girl looked more her own age, with a small and petite frame. Her hair was short and pitch black and she had large blackish blue eyes. The girl was holding a wound at her hip, blood was seeping through her kimono shirt. Kagome smiled and motioned for the girl to allow her to see it. The girl nodded and removed her hand. Kagome gently and with practiced hands lift the end of the shirt without touching the wound. She placed her hands over the skin that looked as if a metal rod was shoved through it and then ripped out the side. This too healed, but not with a few chosen words in her head to the sick son of a turkey who used a pole to rip through a young girl.

Kagome smiled and pulled the girls shirt back down.

She then turned around and found herself at the end of what felt like a thousand stares. She laughed nervously. Urahara chose this moment to come from the shadows and sit beside her. She nodded at him thankfully.

"Everyone, I'm glad to see you are doing better. This is my new friend Kagome-chan. I picked her up off the street and brought her home." Kagome frowned. She sounded like a lost puppy without a home.

"Kagome-chan, "She looked up at Urahara, who she chose to notice at the moment was a full foot taller than herself. "The orange haired kid's name is Ichigo Kurasaki," said individual was still comatose, "The pirate over there is Kenpachi Zaraki," A growl at being called a pirate was heard, "The old kid's name is Hitsugaya Toushiro," Kagome smiled at the scandalized expression that crossed the boys features, " The pink haired girls name is Yachiru Kusajishi and the last two girls are Rangiku Matsumoto and Rukia Kuchiki." Kagome nodded and then bowed slightly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." They all nodded.

"You showed great power; exactly what are you, Kagome?" The Toushiro asked his expression intense.

Kagome paused for a moment. Wary about telling strangers too much about herself, Kagome thought through the cons and pros. _I can't really not tell them. Not after doing what I've done._

"I'm a miko." They all looked at her for a moment, until the white haired boy scoffed.

"That's not possible. All the miko's with real power died out centuries ago. You expect me to believe you are the last of a breed that has already died out almost 500 years ago." He looked at her with unbelief.

Her temper got the best of her and was surprised at how good she imitated Sesshomaru. Her eyes narrowed on the boy, and she allowed her power to release a little more and fluctuate throughout the room.

"I don't expect anything from you. You are a total stranger, what do I care about your opinions."Her voice was cold and unfeeling, but at the same time held the hint of unleashed rage. She was already getting pissed with the arrogant boy. She calmed a bit when Urahara broke their staring contest with a gentle hand placed on her back.

"Thank you, Kagome-chan , for healing my friends, despite the fact that some have shown their arrogance in questioning you before thanking you. I am quite grateful." She smiled at Urahara, and snickered on the inside at the loud growl that came from Toushiro.

"If you are tired, you can go back and rest." She tried not to laugh at his silent request for her to leave the room.

"Of course. Ano, is their a sewing kit. I can go ahead and mend my clothes. I know you offered, but I really do insist that you allow me to do it. I've already overstayed my welcome."

"Nonsense Kagome-chan. You haven't over stayed anything. But Tessai will get you any mending materials you may need." She watched Tessai stand up and she stood to follow him. He went through a couple of strange hallways before stopping at a closet and pulling out a sewing kit. He handed it to her.

"Arigatou, Tessai-san." She watched him nod before walking in the direction to her given room. Settling down she got to working on her mending. She closed all the ragged tares caused by demon claws on her hakamas. She then looked at her shirt. It was still ripped in half so she decided, until she could possibly get another shirt, she would fold the ends back and make a belly shirt. That done, she slipped on her own clothes and tied her belt around her waist, making sure to tuck kuroi ame on to her hip. Releasing her hair, she tied the hair tie to her wrist. Picking up the discarded Yukata, she folded t neatly and placed it on the end of the mattress.

Leaving the room she made it back to where she felt the presences of the shinigami. She knew they were probably in a heated discussion, not wanting to disturb them Kagome decided to go around the room and head to the entrance of the shop. Once there she slipped her boots on and opened the door. The bright morning sun blinded her for a moment. She stood there getting used to the light, enjoying the warmth on her exposed skin. A pull on her pants made her turn back. Ururu was standing behind her looking up with pleading eyes. Kagome always was a sucker for kids.

"Are you Alright Ururu?" The young girl nodded.

"Are you leaving Kagome-san?"

"Yes. I don't want to intrude on you guys any longer. Despite what Urahara-san says, I don't want to be a bother. Could you tell everyone I said thank you for the hospitality. I had nowhere to go and you took me in. Not many have that kind of generosity." She smiled brightly at the little girl, and watched the youth nod her head.

"Ja ne, Ururu-chan." And with that Kagome walked away and left Urahara's shop.

Hateshinai Shiken

Sublime Magnolia

**Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, however the idea does.**

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers. I'm so glad that you guys like the story so far. Your reviews are encouraging me to continue in the story. I'm a bit torn on who to have Kagome with. So far it's a harem but I'm thinking about making it Urahara. He needs a girl in his life…other than Yoroichi. But so does Kenpachi, Hitsugaya, and even Uquiorra. Well, whatever happenes, I hope to make this story AWESOME! Ja ne. Please review if you like it.**

After Urahara had properly seen to it that the young woman was properly out of the room, following Tessai with quiet strides, he turned to his fellow companions, especially a little white haired shinigami…and sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the forming headache to disappear as everyone sat in quiet expectation.

The girl was an enigma to him. He couldn't help that he was a bit fascinated with her, and from the expressions of the others in the room, they were too. She was beautiful…that was painfully obvious. He could still remember the look she had when she stood before him, sword in hand and ready for battle. For a moment, she looked like a fallen angel bread for killing and then, like a light switched being turned on with an audible 'click', her expression softened into a real angel when the sound of that child spirit had awoken. She was so gentle with the child that it made the place in his chest, the one he had put up on the shelf away from the world and prying eyes ache. He closed his eyes for a few seconds searching for answers, and knowing that he wouldn't find any. He sighed again and prepared to speak.

"She is not an enemy. She is a guest in my house, just like you, and I expect you to treat her accordingly." He didn't mean for the slight edge to his voice from being in there, but just like being fascinated with the girl, he just couldn't help it. He watched as most of the others in the group nodded.

"She may not be your enemy, Urahara, but that doesn't mean she isn't ours. Have you forgotten that we're still in a war with Aizen and the rest of his arrancars. How do you know she is not one? I for one will not put my trust in someone that easily." Stated the white haired shinigami sagely; he was dealing with the betrayal of the two captains as best he could which made it hard for him to trust anyone, other than Matsumoto and maybe Kurasaki…despite the fact that he did think the girl was the most beautiful female he had ever seen. He knew first hand you couldn't trust people based off looks, just look at Aizen.

"I don't know if she is an arrancar, or a miko, or whatever else she gets labeled with," he thought out loud, "but she is a good person. I watched her defeat a hollow just to save a young spirit child and then talk him into going to the soul society. She had done nothing but try to ease our minds about letting her stay here despite the fact that we invited her,"_or rather I invited her, "_ and she healed each one of you with you requesting her aid or her requesting something from you. I believe that Kagome-san will be very important to the battle with Aizen…and you know I'm rarely ever wrong." The group agreed by nodding their heads. Hitsugaya nodded as well, agreeing to the input about her healing them without request. He twitched when his hand tingled from the warmth of her healing powers.

"I also believe that if she does not become an ally to us now and aizen finds her, we may be deep in over our heads." His voice was very solemn with the hint of prophecy. He wasn't even sure what that could mean, but the thought of Kagome in the hands of Aizen made his chest unexpectedly clinch; his hands reflected this and he quickly hid them with the folds of his black jacket.

Kenpachi sat quietly contemplating the events. His eyes jumped from Urahara to Hitsugaya to the pink haired girl still lying peacefully on the floor in veiled intelligence. The girl was strong, he could tell that she was hiding the majority of her power, not that the small amount that she let show wasn't impressive. He already desired to fight her, he wanted to see just what those small and delicate hands of hers were capable of. He wasn't the kind of man who chased women. His thoughts had always been consumed with fighting and becoming stronger. The biggest thrill he got was fighting a strong opponent.

'_I'm not sure how I feel about this one…"_ His eyes turned upwards as he continued his mental exploration, remembering for a brief moment the way her eyes burned dangerously as her power flared when she looked at the short shinigami sitting beside him. Something about that look made his heart race with pent-up excitement and the lower regions of his body twitch. He sighed silently, but heavily.

'_Yep…this will be a first…"_

Everyone else in the room agreed with Urahara, all except ichigo and the pink haired girl, both of which were still unconscious. The girls already liked her, although they were a bit bewildered by her sudden appearance and obvious power.

Urahara nodded his head at all of them, a silent agreement passing by them all that they would respect her while she, and they, were living under Urahara's roof.

At this point in time Ururu chose to quietly enter and sit to the side of everyone.

"What is Ururu-chan?" He smiled at the girl from behind his fan.

"Kagome-san has left." Urahara felt his breath hitch for a moment as if time had frozen and then, just as quickly, he was released without anyone knowing the wiser. However, it did cause a moment of silent questioning to himself.

"Did she say why she was leaving?"

"Kagome-san said she was intruding despite what Urahara-san told her and that she didn't want to be a bother. She also said to tell you thank you for your hospitality. She said you took her in when she had nowhere to go and that not everyone had that type of generosity." Ururu-chan continued to look at the floor. She didn't want Kagome-san to go. There was something about her that made her seem like a mother or a big sister and Ururu desperately wanted to keep that here.

Urahara nodded at the young girl that he understood, although he was internally disappointed.

'_She didn't even say goodbye.'_He thought. Those same thoughts were flowing through both Kenpachi and Hitsugaya's minds despite how much they ignored or tried to argue against those thoughts.

Urahara stood up and tapped his chin with his folded fan.

"I guess there's only one thing to do. We'll just have to go bring her back."

"I refuse." Said speaker was the ever obstinate teenager, hitsugaya toshiro.

"That's fine, Toshiro-_chan,"_ Urahara sung sarcastically, "You can stay here and keep an eye on the comatose." Said mastermind smirked behind his fan at the narrowed eyes of the captain.

"Fine. I'll go." He stated getting to his feet and following the already leaving group. It was already turning out to be a long day thanks to a long, dark haired beauty.

Said beauty was currently walking down a street, trying to memorize the layout. She had managed to trace her foot steps to the park from the night before. In the light of day she could see that beyond the small forest that bordered the small playground there was a beautiful open field that the park had somehow allowed to stay untouched from modernization.

She sat on a lush hill that overlooked the field that was overflowing various purple, yellow, and red flowers. She watched as two bees seemed to fight before twirling in a far off direction, probably taking pollen back to the nest. A couple white butters flutteres here and there, plus the aroma was amazing. She smiled at the scene and wished that she had a canvas and some paints so she could recreate this small world onto a flat surface.

She continued to watch, her hair left untied flowing in the soft breeze. Her legs were propped up and her elbows rested lazily on her knees. A soft smile appeared on her face. It was quickly replaced with a slight frown when, what looked to be a tare in reality, appeared down in the bottom of the bowl shaped field. She watched as a strange fellow stepped out wearing white robes, his hands placed casually in his pockets.

His face was expressionless, even his vivid green eyes were blank. Green lines ran from the corners of his eyes down the side of his face like permanent tear tracks. His black hair was slightly disheveled, the left side of his head being half covered by what looked to be, in Kagome's opinion, demon bone in the shape of an interesting looking half-helmet.

He stood there for a moment before turning towards her. They both stared at each other for a while longer, waiting to see what the other would do. Kagome kept her expression just as blank as his, which to her slight surprise caused him to raise an eyebrow. He picked up his foot in what look like a step forward before he was standing three feet in front of her. She didn't even blink an eye at him; it wasn't like he was faster than Sesshomaru. If she hadn't been around said demon so much she would have missed the slight narrowing of his eyes.

A quick flick of his wrist caused a thin a line of blood to appear on the side of her face where he had cut her. Her face stayed emotionless, her eyes holding his gaze, as she slowly raised her hand to her face and healed it. The skin was flawless when she put her hand back down, smirking inwardly when the male in front of her narrowed his eyes even further.

"You know, it is good manners to introduce yourself when you meet someone. However, the truth of the matter is I don't care to know your name just as much as I am sure you could care less what my name is. So, let's skip the formalities and get to the point of why you're here." She let her eyes narrow dangerously on him.

"Really, now little girl. Are you sure you're ready to take on the big boys?" She watched him smirk down at her as she stood up. She placed her hands casually behind her head and looked back up at him in boredom.

"I doubt I'm the only little thing in this field, if you catch my drift, boy. But I'm not sure you're old enough to play with a girl like me. Maybe you should go get potty trained first." She openly smirked at him when his smirk fell. She watched him disappear, or at least, attempt to since she could follow him with her eyes and move even faster than him. She laughed at the look of indignation on his normally composed face as she led him on a cat and mouse chase around the field. She laughed daintily when he swung around after she breathed on his neck, only to find her gone when he turned around.

A laugh back at the top of the hill gained his attention. She was squatting down with her elbow on her arm and her face in her hand. Her other hand lazily played with the grass. She smiled mysteriously at him. He tilted his head curiously at her, wondering what she was. She couldn't possibly be human and be so powerful…right?

"What is your name?" He asked. His cool demeanor back on. She continued to look at him.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you considering your lack of introduction earlier, not that I care, it's just polite. But if you must have a name call me Kagome."

"I am Ulquiorra." He watched her roll his name on her tongue as if tasting a food never tried before, letting her taste buds test to see if she liked it.

"Ulquiorra, eh? It's different…but I like different." At that moment her stomach growled, causing a blush of embarrassment to creep across her cheeks. She was hungry and had no idea how she was going to eat since she had no money. She sighed.

"Well, Ulquiorra, I'm hungry. We'll have to cut this meeting short. It was a pleasure meeting you," she half smirked and half smiled down at him, "Ja ne." He watched her stand up and walk casually towards the forest. She paused for a moment before looking over her shoulder. Her eyes caught his with fiercest, darkest, and most dangerous expression he had ever seen on a human.

"Don't cause any trouble, ne, Ulquiorra-san." She turned back and left through the forest. For a moment he felt as though he didn't want her to go. Shaking those thoughts away he opened the portal back to Hueco mundo before the blasted shinigami showed up from sensing his presence.

He sighed heavily as he walked through. He knew he had to show Aizen what happen, but part of him didn't want the king of Hueco Mundo to know anything about the girl. He sighed silently again before shaking it off, pulling the stoic demeanor back on, and heading for the royal courts of the hollow realm.

_should I stop there…I guess I can continue since you've all been such great reviewers.

Kagome found herself walking the streets of a small downtown strip. It wasn't quite the city she had woken up to, but it was big enough for her to find herself some food. She had no money, so in keeping with a feudal era teaching; if you don't have any money, work for it. She didn't exactly have time to find a job at the moment since she was already hungry, but she could offer to wash the dishes or something. Smiling at the thought, she proceeded to ask inside a restaurant called _Good Days._She made sure her sword was hidden with a concealment spell before entering; it would do no good to get thrown out for carrying a weapon.

She walked into the bar and restaurant, sitting on a stool in front of the bartender, and waited for him to notice her. She observed that he was a hearty older man with muscles for days. His head was completely bald and he had a mustache that looked like something a biker would have. He walked over to her, his hands busied with the drying of a glass.

"What can I get for you miss?" He smiled roguishly at her and she found it slightly endearing considering the setting. She smiled at him.

"Before I can request anything, I have to say I have no money. I was wondering if I could work it off like washing the dishes or something?" He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I already have a dishwasher, but I'll tell you what you can do. If I feed you both lunch and dinner would you be willing to waitress for the day. One of my girls called in sick today and I'm already shorthanded. I could really use the extra hand." She beamed up at him, completely oblivious to the slight blush that spread across his cheeks.

"That's perfect!"

"Great! Let me feed you then so you can get to work. I'll give you the house special." He turned to a window that was behind the bar and which, obviously, led to the kitchen. "Hey Daisuke, I need an order of the house special pronto. Put your heart into it too!"A sharp, "RIGHT BOSS," was the only response.

She smiled at her good fortune. The fates were looking down on her with good luck it seemed,…for now anyway.

Kagome had no idea that lady luck was currently writing a bad check and soon those nasty debt collectors were going to come calling. And who was the one who was going to have to pay that debt..why Kagome of course…

**END*END*END**


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